


Record Keeper

by BlackHatKat



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Background Character, Canon Compliant, F/M, Female Reader, Kingdom Hearts III Spoilers, Reader-Insert
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-22
Updated: 2019-03-23
Packaged: 2019-11-28 01:27:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 12,602
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18201644
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlackHatKat/pseuds/BlackHatKat
Summary: You escaped the Fall of Radiant Garden and now are biding your time in Traverse Town with the others, waiting for the day you can finally return.  You wish to discover the truth of what happened to your home and most importantly, to your friend.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first attempt at writing from this POV. I hope it goes over well!

Prologue:

\---

A true scholar finds clues to the future in the mistakes of his past.

\---

When you open your eyes, the first thing you see is the castle. It’s the same beautiful castle that’s haunted your dreams ever since you arrived in Traverse Town. It towers over the town square where you’re standing and despite it’s looming nature, it does not feel imposing at all. In fact, the sight is almost... comforting. There’s just something about the mechanical gears and slanted architecture that draws you in. 

Around you are large garden beds filled with an array of colourful flowers in full bloom. If they were real, you imagine that they’d smell quite lovely.

The soft sound of flowing water from all the surrounding fountains suddenly fills your ears and your eyes slowly move to the pair of metal gates up in front of you. Behind it is a path leading up towards the castle. You take a step forward, and your legs feel abnormally heavy. What should be a short walk lasts seemingly forever.

At last, you make it to the gates. You try them and they are locked. They’re always locked. Gazing up, you can see a circular landing and another set of stairs beyond. 

That’s where the front doors are. 

That’s where he...

“Hey!”

You start and then your eyes actually open to see the dark panels of the ceiling of your room. Rolling over in your bed, you see the door is open and a short, dark-haired girl wearing a headband is standing there with a grin on her face.

“Wakey-wakey sleepyhead,” the girl says and you sigh, scrubbing a hand down your face.

“What time is it?” There is no sun in Traverse Town, and it is something that you desperately miss. Starlight is one thing, it's quiet and pretty, but nothing beats the warmth of shining sun on your skin. It’s a wonder no one in this place has gone bonkers yet.

“About 6am.”

You are struck with the sudden urge to chuck a pillow at her head. “Go away, Yuffie,” you groan, pulling up the covers and snuggling back into your very warm bed.

“Can’t,” Yuffie shrugs. “Leon wants everyone up for training. More Heartless were spotted roaming around our district last night.”

The thought of those creatures growing in number make you shiver. “Okay fine,” you relent. “Tell the Drillmaster I’ll be there shortly.” 

Ever since your arrival, Leon had insisted that everyone keep up with their relevant skills. Always the protector, the brown-haired swordsman had stepped up once it became apparent that your small group seemed to be the only ones able to combat the Heartless in this world. You didn't blame him, although you were quite sure that it was guilt more than anything that drove him to such actions.

Yuffie chuckles. “Sure thing. Aerith made coffee. It’s downstairs.” She gives you a nod and then leaves you to get ready for the day.

The first thing you do after Yuffie closes the door is pull out a worn, thick hardcover book from your nightstand. Your father’s old book, passed on to you before you left. You open it, flipping through until reaching a blank page. You quickly write down what you saw in your sleep, adding to the ever-growing journal of your memories and dreams that you'd started when you'd gotten here. You tell yourself if you do keep doing this, then you won’t forget. Everyone else is starting to, you can tell. Little by little, the past is starting to blur. But not you. You can’t forget. It’s your real home, after all. One day, you’ll return. You’ll all return and then, just maybe, you’ll find him again.


	2. Chapter 2

Ten Years Ago

\--

All you wanted was to try that new ice cream flavour everyone in town was talking about. You saved up all your munny from your chores and at last were finally able to afford the treat.

It was a warm and sunny day, so you put on your favourite outfit and grabbed the book you’d been reading before running out the door. Your mother offered to do your hair, but you decided to leave it as is so you could get there as soon as possible. The ice cream stall wasn’t far, and so your mother reluctantly allowed you to go by yourself. You always kept up with your magical training, but you were sure nothing bad could possibly happen between here and there. Those creatures that had invaded the town hadn’t been seen in weeks. You sometimes wondered what happened to that pretty girl with the short blue hair you’d seen running around during that time. You open your book and let your feet do the rest along the familiar path. 

“Watch out!”

You look up from the story you were immersed in only to see some sort of frisbee flying straight at your head. Crying out in surprise, you hold up the book in front of you in an attempt to shield yourself. You feel the impact of the object against the hard cover of your book and hear the clattering of the frisbee against the stone street.

“Are you okay?”

A taller boy with long blue hair runs up to you. Blinking, you just nod back at him. The boy lets out a long sigh and picks up the frisbee, which you notice has some sort of fiery-face on it, and throws it back at his friend.

“Lea, you need to be more careful with these things!” he scolds at the red-haired boy standing over by the fountain.

“Well maybe that little pipsqueak oughta be paying more attention!” Lea calls back as he catches the frisbee, but you can tell by the look on his face that he was worried too.

“I’m fine, really,” you assure the blue-haired boy. He looks back at you with a frown and you suddenly want to hide behind your book again. Your mother always told you teenage boys were trouble. Mind you, you were only seven years old, but still.

“Com’on, Isa!” Lea yells, waving his arm. “We’ve got important places to be.”

Isa gives you one more glance and then goes back over to Lea. The red-haired teen throws an arm over his friend’s shoulder and the pair disappear down the street towards Fountain Court. You watch them go and then continue on towards the ice cream stall. 

There’s a small crowd when you arrive so you go to the end of the queue behind a tall blond man whose face you can’t see and a slate blue-haired boy around your height. They are both wearing white coats and the man has a long red scarf draped around his neck. Not wanting to bother anyone, you go back to your book while you wait. After a minute or two, you feel someone watching you. You slowly raise your eyes and you see that boy you’d been standing behind has now turned around. His hair is messy, and his oddly-styled bangs obscure one side of his face, hiding his right eye. The one that you can see looking at you, though, is a very bright blue. He doesn’t smile but rather stares curiously straight at you and then tilts his head at the book you’re holding.

“What’s this, now? Making a friend, Ienzo?” The tall man looks down at the pair of you and your mouth opens wide. The man in front of you is Lord Ansem the Wise! You should have taken your mother’s offer to do your hair. You blush furiously and bow your head, unsure of how else to respond to him.

“Now, now, there’s no need for that my dear,” Ansem chuckles and pats your head. Still shaking, you look up at him and his amber eyes widen slightly in recognition. His smile widens and he then addresses you by name. He knows your parents, of course, as many people in the town do. Your mother and Mrs. Gainsborough are the ones in charge of the people who maintain all the beautiful flowers and gardens throughout the town. Your father is the town historian and spends most of his time with his head buried in books and records. 

Ansem buys you the popular blue ice cream bar along with his own and Ienzo’s. You thank him graciously as you eat the delicious treat and he tells you it is nothing. As you are about to turn and go home, you feel a tug on your sleeve. Ienzo blinks at you and then looks up at Ansem.

“Oh really?” Ansem has an amused expression on his face. He obviously understands whatever the boy is telling him. “I don’t suppose you’re free for the rest of the afternoon, young lady?”

“Err...” You stutter, unsure of why exactly he’s asking.

Ienzo rolls his eyes and taps his foot impatiently while he eats his ice cream. Ansem shakes his head and looks at you again.

“I think Ienzo would like to see what you’re capable of. Not here, of course, but perhaps up at the castle?”

“Oh.” Your cheeks grow warm again at the thought of such a thing. It makes sense that if they know your parents then they know of you. “I really should ask my mother first.”

Ansem smiles. “Of course.”

Your mother is hesitant, but does allow you to go to the castle (the castle!!) where you spend the afternoon doing exactly what your parents always told you not to do. You are talented and powerful. But as a child, you need to learn control of all the magic you wield. That takes time and practice. However, today is an exception. You conjure all manner of elements in the private courtyard where you find out that Ienzo does in fact speak, but he just prefers not to. Apparently he doesn't like the looks people give him when they find out he talks like an adult. You don't think it's weird at all. People often tell you the same thing.

You laugh as you dance around, leaving small bits of blue flame behind you on the stone path. You're finally able to let loose. Ienzo challenges you to create a giant tornado of water from the fountain which you gladly do. He doesn't tell you what to do with it afterwards, so you let it crash down, soaking the both of you from head to toe. You giggle playfully as he gives you an unimpressed look while he wrings out his white coat but doesn't complain. Ansem finds this all very amusing.

The Lord of the Castle stays with you for awhile longer, but is soon called away and then a stern-faced orange-haired guard comes to the courtyard instead. He stands silently by the entrance and watches over the two of you. He's rather formidable in appearance, but you quickly grow used to his presence and carry on with your ‘demonstration’.

At last, it's time for you to go home, but Ienzo invites you to come back again another day. You really enjoyed spending time with him today and find it odd that you've never seen him around town before. You agree. You want to find more about him too. You don’t really have many friends around your age as you spend most of your time studying or training. Even though your parents haven’t explicitly told you, you’re pretty sure most of the other families have told their children to avoid you.

Over the next while, you find yourself becoming a frequent visitor to the castle. There is so much to explore (the library is by far your favourite place inside), and Ienzo manages to show you around everywhere. Well, almost everywhere. There are laboratories in the basement, and your mother warned you never to go down there. She never explained why. You assume it's because whatever experiments they are doing aren't safe, which is reasonable. It's just as well though, since that's where Apprentice Xehanort spends most of his time and you don't like him very much at all. He gives you the creeps. Him and that guard named Braig. You know that Ienzo helps out in the labs though, but he doesn't tell you much except that they are trying to learn more about the heart. It all sounds pretty complicated and you've got enough to worry about with your own magic. You've also spotted Isa and Lea around the castle from time to time. They always seem preoccupied with something else though, so you never really get a chance to properly say hi.

One cloudy day, you are walking through the gardens towards the castle when you spot Ienzo rushing down the stairs. He looks upset and you hurry over to meet him.

“What's wrong?” you ask.

Ienzo shakes his head as he catches his breath and you notice that it appears he's about to cry. “He's... he's gone,” he murmurs.

“Who?”

“A... Ansem.”

You aren't sure what to say. You've overheard your parents whispering about all the strange happenings lately and that the experiments at the castle are to blame. They’d been growing more concerned about your visits. There were rumours that Ansem himself was starting to change and was no longer the wise ruler he used to be. You actually hadn't seen much of him in your last few visits to the castle either.

“Xehanort said that he just disappeared,” Ienzo sniffs. “That he'd... he'd finally gone mad and abandoned us.”

You make a face. “And you believe him?” You wouldn't trust Xehanort if he was the last person in the whole world.

“No one else is saying otherwise.”

“I... I'm sorry.” It's all you can offer. You know how much Ienzo looked up to Ansem. He was basically his surrogate father after Ienzo's biological parents passed away.

“You.. you shouldn't come to see me anymore. It... it's not safe.” He glances behind him like he's worried that he was followed.

“What are you talking about?”

“Just trust me.”

“But with my magic--”

“Your magic is what will put you in danger,” Ienzo interrupts you and you suddenly realize that the boy in front of you is scared. You've never seen him like this before and it starts to frighten you as well. “Please. Stay home.” He starts to turn to head up the stairs toward the castle.

“Why are you going back?” you wonder. “If it's so dangerous, why don't you come with me? If we talk to my parents--”

Ienzo grabs your hand and you fight the urge not to blush at the contact. He looks you in the eye. “I can't. I have to go back. I need to.”

You're both only children and yet you're engaged in a serious conversation that life shouldn't be making you have. Your shared precociousness allows you to realize the gravity of the situation he’s conveying and your heart suddenly sinks in your chest. Something is terribly, terribly wrong.

“Will I get to see you again?” you whisper as he slowly lets go of your hand. 

Ienzo manages a smile. “I hope so.” He then leaves, and it’s not very long after that moment that your entire world literally crumbles around you.

xxx

Present day, Traverse Town

\--

You sit down at the fountain in 3rd District, exhausted after your extensive training session with Merlin this afternoon. Of everyone that had made it to Traverse Town, you were most glad he was here. He’d been your teacher ever since you were young and you often felt like he could be your grandfather. Lately you'd been focusing on advanced battle-magic and higher-level elemental spells. The wizard was certain you now had the ability to cast multiple Grand Magic but presently the most you could muster was a single Firaza. Powerful, but incredibly draining on your energies. 

Luckily, you don't need to worry too much about the Heartless at the moment as Yuffie told you that the young boy with a Keyblade was apparently in town again. You, along with everyone else was surprised when the boy named Sora had appeared with the ability to wield the weapon. His world, Destiny Islands, had been lost to Darkness just like all the others who ended up in Traverse Town. Leon especially had seemed rather salty at first when he saw Sora fighting off the Heartless with the over-sized key. You knew a bit of about Keyblades from Merlin, and from looking back at your private notes, realized that the girl with the blue hair in your past had used one as well. It must have been how she'd fought back those creatures. The ones that weren't Heartless but something else. You never did figure that out. 

Stretching your arms, you stare up at the fountain, its golden glow illuminating the square. You liked spending time here. It was the closest thing to home in this world. Nothing compared to Fountain Court though. Aside from the gardens, it was one of the most impressive features there.

“I hope Merlin wasn't too hard on you today?”

You perk up at the sound of Aerith's voice. She was always like a big sister to you growing up as your mothers spent plenty of time together working in the gardens. You didn't see much of her near... the end... though, as she had started hanging out with a boy named Cloud and a girl named Tifa.

“Not really,” you reply, waving at the brown-haired girl in the pink dress as she walks over. “How was your day?”

“Not bad,” she shrugs. “Mostly just keeping pace with Yuffie.”

“That girl is nuts,” you joke and Aerith laughs, scolding you by your name.

“I’d better get back to the house,” Aerith tells you and you slow your chuckles. “Are you coming?”

You shake your head. “I’ll be along soon. I just want to spend a little longer here.”

Aerith smiles sadly at you. She knows how much you miss your real home. “Okay, don’t be too late.” She pats your shoulder and then heads off towards the small residence that you share with everyone.

Sighing, you look down at the water in the fountain, sticking your hand in the water and swirling it around. A memory stirs and you pause, trying to remember. Something about a tornado. You are so lost in thought that you don’t hear the strange noise and footsteps behind you until someone speaks.

“What a curious place.”

You freeze. Something about the tone of the person’s voice seems off, somehow.

“So this is what happens to those who lose their worlds... they end up here, in a world in between. A place cobbled together from fragments of other worlds. Fascinating.”

Slowly, you take your hand out of the water and turn around to see who is speaking. It is a person wearing a full-length black coat with silver beaded drawstrings. The hood is pulled over their head so you cannot see their face or any other feature. Their arms are crossed and you can see that they are wearing black gloves as well.

“Can I help you?” you ask, standing up and quietly readying a Thundaga spell. This stranger gives you a bad feeling.

The person regards you, at least you’re pretty sure they are as they tilt their head to the side while facing your direction. “Perhaps,” he says, and takes a step closer to you. When he does, you automatically take a step back and hold out your hand.

“Don’t come any closer,” you warn, the crackle of lightning sparking in your other hand. He’s not that much taller than you but you’re well aware that the size of the opponent doesn’t necessarily relate to their abilities.

The man chuckles, but there’s a hollow quality to it, and you realize that’s what’s making you uneasy. “And here I thought you’d be happy to see me.”

“Sorry, I don’t know any creepy people who dress like they’re going to stab me in the middle of the night,” you say.

He then calls you by name and you instantly enter a defensive stance. “Who are you?” you demand.

Wordlessly he pulls down his hood and you gasp loudly at what you see. It’s not possible. It’s been ten years, but you still recognize him. His hair, his eyes... they haven’t changed that much.

“I... Ienzo?” you stutter in disbelief.

“Not exactly,” he says.


	3. Chapter 3

All you want to do is write everything down in your journal, but you don’t have it with you. You really should. You are a record keeper like your father, after all. And now you might have the truth about what really happened to your world in front of you...

You mind tells you that can’t completely trust him.

But oh, your heart desperately wants to.

So for the time being, you listen to Ienzo... no, he says his name is ‘Zexion’ now. He tells you that he is a survivor of sorts and is now travelling the worlds exploring. After the events that destroyed your homeworld, he found himself with the ability to use ‘Dark Corridors’ and used them to find his way here.

“Won’t the Darkness in those pathways destroy you?” you ask, having learned more about the balance of light and darkness over the years from Merlin.

“Hence the jacket,” he explains, motioning at his garb. 

“And what exactly is your purpose for travelling? Are you looking for something?”

“You’re far too astute,” he replies, staring at you with a complete lack of expression. “I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised. You really haven’t changed that much.”

You try not to shiver. He is definitely not the same boy from before. There is a coldness to him, and his speech is overly clinical. It’s like he’s forcing himself to have this conversation with you and you have no idea why.

“You certainly have,” you reply.

“You have no idea.”

Suddenly, the world around you melts away and you are no longer sitting on a bench in 3rd District. Instead, the two of you are seated on what appears to be a curved tropical fruit tree overlooking a white-sand beach and sparkling sea. Above you is a clear blue sky and the sun (the sun!) is shining down, bathing you in warmth. You almost start to cry at the sensation of it. It’s been far too long. You feel like you’re one of your mother’s flowers, soaking in one of the things which gives you life. 

Sighing in contentment you turn to Zexion and your joyous feeling immediately falters as you see that he is now gazing at you rather analytically like you’re some sort of scientific specimen. 

“What did you do?” you ask, shoulders tensing.

“I thought you’d like a change of scenery,” he says, gesturing to the foreign landscape.

You sense a prickling at the back of your neck. This is wrong. All wrong. “I appreciate the gesture, but you’re not exactly answering any of my questions.”

“Hm.” He slowly leans forward, stopping when his face is inches from yours. You’re at a complete loss on how to feel right now but you’re well aware of your heart pounding in your chest. “You’re turning red,” he observes flatly.

“Of course I am!” you snap and he moves back mechanically. “What did you expect?” At this point you have half a mind to send a Blizzaga right at his face.

Zexion sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose and the illusion drops, returning you to your previous neon-lit surroundings. “Well to answer your query, I’m following up on a theory. Upon further examination, I’m afraid that what I’d hoped to find here does not seem to exist. A pity, really. It would have made things much easier.” He stands up from the bench you’re both seated on and starts to walk away.

Your feel your anger grow and you reach out and grab his arm. “That’s it?” you ask, annoyed. “You’re not staying?”

He shakes off your hand. “Yes. This was a personal errand of mine and now that it’s done, there’s no need for my presence here any longer.”

“You...” How dare he. The anger you feel further to intensifies and your magic starts to bubble beneath the surface. “After all this time... and this...” You jump up from the bench and motion at the space between you. “This means nothing to you? You’re just going to leave? Don’t you care at all?”

His visible eye widens slightly at your words and his previously blank face twists into one of actual frustration. “I can’t.” And with that his raises his hand, sending a strong gust of wind straight at you. You’re unprepared for the sudden assault and you are thrown back, your head colliding with a solid wall and temporarily disorienting you.

You fall to your knees and you try to steady yourself. Everything is spinning. You hear an odd noise like a swirling of energy and then Zexion’s emotionless voice saying goodbye. You shake your head to clear your vision and look up only to see the wisps of what remains of the portal he used to leave.

He’s gone.

Again.

You feel your magic building up inside, stretching and swelling to the point where it’s about to burst at the seams.

It hurts.

Everything hurts.

You scream, letting it all out in a blaze of blinding light.

And then there’s nothing. You collapse to the ground, unconsciousness finally claiming you.

xxx

You don’t tell anyone what actually happened. You lie and say that a huge Heartless appeared and it took all of your efforts to defeat it. Everyone believes you and you carry on. You write down what you can in your journal, but keep the details vague for now just in case although no one else besides you reads this anyways.

A short while later Sora returns again, this time bringing with him a young girl. Her name is Kairi, and she’s a close friend of his. She seems familiar to you somehow, but you’re not quite sure why. You are shocked to hear that Sora has travelled to Hollow Bastion and of all the events that transpired there. Your hands shake at hearing about Maleficent, but are relieved that Sora and his friends were able to banish her for good... although part of you would have liked to have personally overseen the demise of the witch who killed your parents.

Leon and Cid declare that it’s time for you all to return to your homeworld and see what’s become of it, now that Sora can seal the Keyhole there. You can’t agree more with their decision.

You make the journey across the stars home.

You aren’t prepared for what you find.

The once beautiful castle has been twisted and warped, mostly due to Maleficent’s power and all the Darkness she commanded. It is all that currently remains of the world and it is horrifying to behold. You take refuge in the library with everyone else to plan your next moves while Sora disappears on his quest to find his other friend, a boy named Riku.

After it becomes apparent that you are all on your own again, you grow impatient and volunteer to go exploring by yourself. You tell Leon that since you spent a good portion of time here in the past, that you are the one best suited for recon work. He reluctantly agrees, having seen that you are fully capable of dealing with any Heartless you might encounter. You’re not the little girl you used to be.

Finally free, you shoulder your backpack containing your precious journal and find your way through the labyrinth that Maleficent has turned this place into. Soon, you start to recognize the hallways and are able to reach your actual intended destination.

Taking a breath, you try the handle. It’s not locked and the door opens with a loud creak. It’s dark in here so you conjure a flame in the palm of your hand. It burns blue, indicative of the strength of your magic.

There is a thick layer of dust over everything, and you carefully walk over to the heavy curtains. Extinguishing the flame, you pull back the curtains, letting the light from outside fill the bedroom. It’s just how you remember it. The bed is neatly made and the desk and shelves are stacked with books and yellowing papers. You weigh down the loose papers before opening the window and then cast Aero, which makes quick work of all the dust. Once things smell a little less musty, you pull out the small chair and sit at the desk. You run your hand across the smooth wooden surface and pull the top book from the pile down to examine it. It’s a textbook about flowers and plants. Your favourite ones, in fact. You feel a lump in your throat at the sight.

“Well well well.”

Instantly you spin around, casting a Bind spell in the direction of the voice. It quickly bounces off of a simultaneously cast Reflect.

“What are you doing here?” you ask coldly, standing up. Somehow, you’re not surprised to find him here. After all, this was his old room.

“I should ask you the same thing, snooping around such a dangerous place,” Zexion muses, closing the door that you’d left open.

“You first.” You keep a careful eye on him. You’re not about to get caught offguard this time.

“I may have made a miscalculation earlier.”

“Oh?”

He smirks, and the expression surprises you. “It’s been brought to my attention that perhaps I did not conduct as thorough an investigation when last we met.”

You frown. What an odd statement. Something seems different about him today. “Maybe if you tell me what you’re after I can help you.”

Zexion eyes you and taps his cheek in thought. “I’m not supposed to say...” Before you can even blink he’s suddenly right in front of you. “But since we’re friends I’ll give you a hint.” He takes your hand and presses it against his chest. This action practically pulls you into him and you flush at the close proximity. Leaning in, the tip of his nose brushes against yours causing your breath to hitch. “Your turn,” he murmurs against your lips before straightening back up.

You head feels dizzy and you can’t believe this is happening. You try to move but his grip on your hand is firm. You’re about to say something when you finally notice.

“You... you don’t have a heartbeat,” you say incredulously. “Are you even human anymore?”

“Mm.” He releases your hand and you quickly draw it back against yourself.

“I came here looking for more answers,” you tell him, turning away. He still hasn’t moved and you’re having trouble keeping your thoughts straight because of him. “But apparently all I’ve gotten are more questions.” You hear a new sound and look back. Zexion’s arms are crossed and he is drumming his fingers along one of his sleeves while humming in contemplation.

“I can take you somewhere that will help you in your search,” he says slowly, obviously being careful in his words.

“Is it another illusion?” you snort.

He shakes his head. “No. An actual place. I think you know.” He motions downwards with a small nod of his head. “Unfortunately it’s still quite saturated with Darkness. I wouldn’t recommend venturing there alone.”

You know exactly where he’s talking about. “The laboratories...” you mumble. The place you were never allowed to go. Where you never wanted to go.

A dark portal erupts from the floor behind Zexion. You shudder at the Darkness you can feel emanating from within it. He calls your name and holds out a hand.

Your mind shouts at you not to go with him.

Your heart thinks otherwise.

You reach out and slowly take his hand. Looking up, you see his lips curl into the tiniest of smiles before everything goes dark.

xxx

“I told you it would work.”

“I never doubted you. What are you planning to do, extract it for examination?”

“And risk causing any damage? Lexaeus, please.”

“I only ask because we must be departing for Oblivion soon and Vexen is starting to ask questions.”

“Yes, yes, don’t worry, it’s just a matter of a simple scan or two and then I’ll return her to the castle.”

“She’s quite different than the last time I saw her.”

“Of course she is. It’s been awhile, after all.”

“What is that you’re reading?”

“It appears to be a journal of some sort that was in her bag. A few rather interesting entries.”

“Just like her father.” 

“Mm. Do you mind going to distract Vexen while I complete these tests... what is it?”

“Nothing.”

“Lexaeus...”

“I sense her strength, Zexion. She could be a threat.”

“I can handle her.”

“But...”

“Leave her to me, Lexaeus, now go.”

“As you wish.”


	4. Chapter 4

You hear someone calling your name, but you’re just so tired you just want to sleep. Sleeping means dreaming and you’re having a rather pleasant one.

You’re sitting in the garden with your journal. It’s a warm day. The sun is bright and you can hear the birds. You’re scribbling notes but they’re illegible. It’s a dream, after all. There are footsteps approaching and you smile before looking up.

It’s Ienzo. He greets you with a smile in return and holds up two blue ice cream bars. You take the one he offers out and he sits down next to you.

“What are you writing?” he asks, peering over your shoulder at the open page on your lap.

“Just trying to organize my thoughts,” you reply.

“Oh?” He takes a bite of his ice cream. “About what?”

You close the book and nibble at your own ice cream. “About you.”

Ienzo chuckles. “About me? Am I that confusing to you?”

“Well...” You savour the salty-sweet taste of the dessert. You’re pretty sure that it’s accurate, but it’s been so long it’s hard to tell. “For one thing, you don’t exist anymore... at least, I’m pretty sure.”

“How unfortunate.”

“Yeah, it is. And seeing whatever it is that’s walking around with your face and your voice is extremely disconcerting.”

“I can imagine.”

You sigh. “Maybe... maybe I should be glad that at least a part of you remains. Even though he’s a big fat stupid jerk.” You lean over and rest your head on his shoulder. “Do you think he’d mind if the next time I see him I really do send a Thundaza right at his head?”

You feel a light peck on the crown of your head and it makes you blush.

“I’d be disappointed if you didn’t,” Ienzo says.

You laugh and then hear your name being called again. Frowning, you look around as both Ienzo and your surroundings slowly start to blur and fade away into darkness leaving you all alone. You stand and try to listen more closely this time.

At first, the voice is garbled like you’re deep under water. Then it steadily grows louder and clearer until they’re practically shouting it into your ear.

You wake and you find yourself lying on the floor of the library with both Yuffie and Aerith hovering over.

“Finally!” Yuffie exclaims in relief. Aerith shares the same expression.

You sit up, holding your head and feeling groggy. “What happened?” you ask.

“When you didn’t come back,” Leon says from where he’s leaning against a pillar, “we went to look for you. Cid found you out on a balcony upstairs unconscious.”

You frown. “What? How long was I gone for?”

“About 12 hours.”

“That’s not right...” you mumble under your breath. You swear it’s only been maybe 2 hours since you left the library to go find Ienzo’s old room.

“What’s the last thing you remember?” Leon asks.

A giant Heartless attacking you and blacking out, that’s what. You bite the inside of your cheek. You don’t want to tell them where you went. About your encounter with Zexion and going down to the laboratories through that portal. There were so many Heartless down there that you really weren’t able to find anything of use before being ambushed. Best not to say anything right now. They’d only worry more. “I... I was looking around upstairs and found some old books. I guess I lost track of time. Sorry.”

Leon eyes you suspiciously but doesn’t ask you any more questions.

“Well, we’re all pretty exhausted,” Aerith says with a nod. “Rebuilding this place is going to take time... but come look!” She helps you to your feet and guides you over to a nearby window. You gaze outside and gasp. Where once was nothing but broken, floating chunks of land you can now see the rooftops of a few houses down below.

“It’s coming back,” you realize aloud.

“Yeah, isn’t it great?” Yuffie chimes in.

“No one said this was going to be an easy job,” Cid grunts, clapping Leon on the shoulder. The brown-haired man nods in agreement.

You then notice that something’s missing from your shoulders. “Cid? Where’s my backpack?”

The blond man shrugs. “Dunno. Wasn’t with you when I found ya.”

Panic strikes. “I have to go and find it.”

Leon shakes his head. “I don’t think that’s a good--”

“Too bad,” you snap, cutting him off. That book is not only your prized possession, it’s the only thing you have left of your family. You’re not about to let the Heartless or something even worse get to it. You stomp past him and to the library doors. Aerith calls out your name but it’s too late, you’re already gone. 

You are able to quickly retrace your path up to Ienzo’s room, encountering only a few small Heartless that you easily eliminate. Opening the door, you see that everything was how you left it and that your pack is lying on the bed. You check inside and see that your journal is there, safe and sound. Breathing a huge sigh of relief you sit down and pull it out onto your lap. You flip to the spot where you remember leaving off only to find a folded piece of paper which you immediately pick up and open. It’s a note along with a dried pressed flower sealed between two thin glass microscope slides. It’s not lost on you that it’s your favourite from when you were a child. You read the note as it’s of course addressed to you.

'By the time you read this missive, it is likely that we will not get the opportunity to see one another again for some time as I will be otherwise occupied with a more urgent matter. I realize that my behaviour towards you has been confusing, and for that I apologize. All that I ask is that you ensure that no harm comes to yourself and you protect that which is important until the time is right. You will know when that is when it happens. I cannot say much more lest I risk any further betrayal. Writing this in itself is traitorous enough. I only hope that when you do discover the truth that you will not hold it against me. Be well.'

The cryptic message isn’t signed, but it’s not necessary. You stare at it for a moment in an attempt to decipher any more meaning out of it but you’re just so tired. Numbly, you tuck the note and pressing safely into your journal and slowly close it. Your hands curl into fists.

Splash.

A tear hits the cover. And then another.

You don’t know why.

For whatever reason, your heart is hurting. Badly.

You cry until Aerith finally finds you. She sits down on the bed next to you and pulls you into a comforting hug. You don’t offer an explanation to your distress. She doesn’t ask for one.

xxx

45 Days Later

\--

Streams of water go flying down the hallway, clearing out the remaining Heartless in your way.

“Nice!” Yuffie cheers and zooms forward, flipping over the debris and moving further on in front of you.

“Hold up!” you call after her and sigh as you hear her laughing around the corner. The pair of you came up from town to clear out more of the creatures in the newly restored Postern area when you discovered an entrance to the lower corridors of the castle.

Yuffie shouts your name at you to move faster and you mutter under your breath. Not everyone is as energetic as she is. You summon another blue flame in your hand to provide some light and make your way over to where your friend is standing by a large breaker box.

“This oughta give this place some power,” she says, poking at it with her large shuriken.

“Maybe we should get Cid to look at it,” you suggest as the older blond man is an engineer, after all.

Yuffie snorts and opens the box, observing all the wiring inside. “I bet Thunder magic will do the trick.”

You look her skeptically. “Yeah right,” you reply. “Do you really think that’ll actually work? I bet it’ll just fry the whole system.” 

“Come on,” Yuffie whines.

“You just want to see me cast something again, don’t you?”

“It’s just so cool when you do it.”

You smirk. “Fine.” You hold out your hand, lightning crackling as it swirls around your wrist while building up power. Not wanting to cause too much damage, you only use a Thundara spell. As soon as the magic hits the breakers, the lights in the hallway start to flicker and much to your surprise they eventually all turn on.

“Ha! Told ya so!” Yuffie grins smugly, putting a hand on her hip.

“So clever,” you roll you eyes. “We’d better head back to headquarters. It’s getting late.”

“Yeah okay,” Yuffie agrees. “We can come check out more of these corridors another day and see where they lead.”

The two of you then exit the castle and towards the rocky path leading down to the town. Other people have been starting to return and that’s given everyone hope for the future of this world. However, Heartless are still running rampant and Cid’s been working on developing some sort of town-wide defense system. In the meantime, you’ve been splitting your time between Heartless patrol and doing recon, mostly up at the castle. You just know you’ll find your answers there. 

You still write in your journal every night, but you haven’t been able to bring yourself to read Zexion’s letter again. Just the thought about seeing his writing and that flower makes your heart hurt. 

As you pass by the stairs to the castle’s front doors you suddenly get the sense that someone’s watching you. Yuffie’s rambling about the Moogle that appeared the other day and is looking to set up shop.

“Hey, Yuffie?”

“Yeah?”

You motion at up towards the doors. “I... I’m just gonna go pop into the library for a minute. Need some more reading material at headquarters. You go on without me, okay?” You smile like there’s nothing wrong. You must be getting better at lying because Yuffie agrees right away and leaves you by yourself.

Taking a breath, you climb up the ruined walkway to the castle’s main entrance. You don’t see anyone but the feeling of being observed is still there. Approaching the doors, you notice that they’re ajar. You don’t recall anyone planning on doing any patrolling up here today. Maybe Aerith decided to go for a walk. Carefully, you slip through the open doors and into the entrance hall. The place seems empty.

Slowly, you walk across the floor towards the fountain. When you’re about halfway there you suddenly hear the doors close behind you.

“Now what have we here... Look at you all grown up...”

The voice sounds familiar but you can’t quite place it. You dig your heel into the floor and carefully pivot around to see who’s there.

Standing by the door is a hooded slim figure wearing the same type of black coat that Zexion has. He appears to be a fair bit taller than you.

“Do I know you?” you ask, eyeing the man.

“Heh...” You can practically hear the smirk that’s being shrouded by the hood. “It’s been awhile, Pipsqueak.” He then pulls back his hood with one hand and flaming red hair springs out. How was it able to stay under there like that?

You’re shocked. “Lea?” He’s gotten older, but those green eyes have stayed the same. However he’s now sporting two purple reverse-tear drop markings on his face; one under each eye.

“Heya. It’s Axel now, actually.” He waves at you. “Still kicking around this place, huh?”

“It took awhile, but yeah, we made it back.” You don’t move from your position. Just like Zexion, there’s something off about him. “What are you doing here?”

Axel hums to himself and puts one hand on his hip. “Following up on something. Had a job to do, and just when I thought it was done...” He smiles at you with his teeth. “It lead me here to you.”

“To me?”

“Tell me, have you been seeing a certain... Bookworm lately?” he asks.

Your eyes narrow. That was his old nickname for Ienzo when you were kids. You’d heard Lea teasing him with it during your visits. What was going on? “I haven’t seen Ienzo in years,” you tell him. It’s technically the truth.

Axel chuckles. “Ah, of course not. Let me rephrase the question.” He then throws one arm out and a large chakram appears in his hand surrounded by flames. “Why was Zexion so interested in you?” He casually spins the circular weapon while still watching your every move.

Well, so much for trying to play dumb.

“I have no idea,” you reply, sliding slowly back towards the fountain behind you. “What’s with all the weird name changes? Is it because you’re not actually who you used to be?”

“Hm, I guess he really didn’t tell you much at all, huh?” Axel begins to move closer.

“I never got an answer for anything.”

“Yeah he was always like that. You know, I might actually start to miss that nerd and his big book.”

You get a sinking feeling in your chest. “What... what’s that supposed to mean?”

Axel shrugs. “Nothing. Anyways, better get on with it. No loose ends.” He then summons a second chakram with his other hand and without warning hurls the pair of them straight at you.

You’re able to react quickly and leap back onto the edge of the fountain, the chakrams embedding themselves into the floor where you were standing. You cast a Triple Blizzaga, sending three huge chunks of ice back at him. He dodges forward, the ice shattering loudly against the far wall and as he retrieves his weapons.

“Ooh, this’ll be fun.” Axel grins and summons his own magic, orange flames rising up from the ground.

You glare back. “You need to leave,” you say.

“Make me, Pipsqueak.”

Annoyed, you try several status spells; Slow, Poison, Confuse and Stopga but he manages to block them all. Doing so does take some effort, and he seems slightly winded from it.

“Geez, you’re just as strong as him,” Axel comments. “I wonder who took after the other? Guess it doesn’t matter now.” He charges at you, swinging both chakrams in a flurry of flames. You counter with an Ice Barrage which clips him in the side sending him off course.

“You’re awfully chatty,” you remark.

Axel lands on the left stairwell. “Just trying to push your buttons, sweetheart.” He attacks again, this time even faster than before. You evade his strikes but are pushed backwards into the water from the Firaga hitting you square in the chest.

Soaking wet, you stand up only to find the one of the sharp tips of Axel’s chakram pointed at your throat. 

“You want to know how I found you?” he asks, nudging his weapon at you to back you up against the wall.

“I get the feeling you’re going to tell me anyways.”

He leans in close and you defiantly meet his eyes. “Your name was last thing he said before his unfortunate demise,” he whispers.

You feel a twitch inside. “You killed him?”

“Technically no... but I may have encouraged it and watched it happen. A real shame.” He smiles again. “Maybe you’ll see him again after I take care of you.”

Something inside you breaks.

“What the...” Axel’s eyes widen as a Waterza bursts out from you at point blank range. He’s thrown back across the Entrance Hall, chakrams vanishing as his body lands and skids further across the floor. Another Waterza hits, battering him where he lies and then a third, followed up by two Thundazas. It’s fast depleting your stores, but you’re so blinded by rage you don’t notice or care. It’s like a voice inside you is spurring you on, determined to punish the red-haired man for what he’s done.

Calmly, you step out of the fountain now completely dry. Groaning, Axel pulls himself up on his hands and knees. There’s smoke rising from his freshly-singed jacket.

“Such an angry girl,” he gasps out.

You slowly approach him. “Why did you do it?”

“Orders.” He’s still looking down at the floor and breathing heavily.

“From who?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know.”

You lean down so you’re at eye level with him. “I would.” Your voice is cold and steady.

“Well sorry to disappoint you Pipsqueak, but you’re just gonna have to keep on looking for answers.” His head snaps up and you’re hit full blast with a Fission Firaga.

When your vision clears you see one of those black portals closing and Axel is gone. You curse under your breath as you collapse to your knees.

You have no real reason to believe Axel at all, but everything he said just seemed to resonate with you. And the reaction you had... 

You shake your head, trying to get a grip on both your racing heart and your rampant magic.

Patience.

You’ll find what you seek.

You get the feeling that once you figure out what happened to your home, it will solve everything.

That night, you record all the events that have transpired since Zexion found you in Traverse Town down to the finest detail. You decide that from now on, you’re keeping it with you at all times. You never know when you might need its knowledge.


	5. Chapter 5

Time passes quickly and the weeks turn to months. Soon an entire year has gone by. Cid continues work on his town defense system and sets up a computer system in Merlin's home which also becomes your new 'headquarters'. Yuffie comes up with the name 'Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee' for your group and even makes little membership cards for everyone. It's cute so you all go along with it. More people are appearing in town and Aerith has been helping to get them settled. 

The world itself is continuing to expand outwards into large rocky and crystalline valleys. It's mostly all Heartless there, and you and the others do your best to keep the throngs at bay away from the town. 

Meanwhile, you tried to fight your way through the basement corridors of the castle but the concentration of Heartless there seemed endless and so reluctantly you turned your attention back to the upper levels. The days have been spent clearing out various upstairs rooms and discovering more every time you think you're done. It's like the castle is slowly restoring itself as you work. 

After your encounter with Axel, you haven't seen any more people in those black coats. You're always on high alert now, just in case.

You're sitting out on a high balcony working on your map of the castle when it suddenly occurs to you that you haven't seen Sora in awhile. Where that thought came from you're not sure.

Upon returning to Headquarters, you find that everyone else also remembered Sora today. Strange.

Not long later the boy in question appears. He's gotten a little taller but his cheery attitude is the same. He's off on another adventure, and he tells you about he's learned from Yen Sid about Heartless and a new creature, the Nobody.

A Nobody.

What remains of a person when they are separated from their heart. Those white things you’ve all seen around town lately are the basic form they take.

However, a particularly strong person can retain a humanoid body but as they lack a heart, they cannot feel and have to fake all their emotions. There is a group of them that have formed.

Organization XIII.

Sora goes on to tell everyone more, but you've heard what you need to. 

You retreat up to the castle alone. While you’re there, Sora leaves again after helping with another Heartless assault. They are just not letting up.

Leon finds you in the library writing in your journal and tells you that the Heartless presence seems to have decreased downstairs and he wants to you to help him make a push. Excited, you quickly agree.

Blasting through the corridors with a renewed sense of hope and determination, you and Leon discover the remains of Ansem's study with a large portrait of Apprentice Xehanort on the wall. You scowl at the sight of it and Leon questions your reaction.

“Bad memories,” you say as you pick up some of the discarded paper and books on the floor. Glancing at their contents you find mostly charts, numbers, and other scientific jargon. Not exactly your forte. Leon looks around while you're reading and finds a well-hidden panel on the wall. He fiddles with it and the wall opens to reveal another hallway, lights turning on automatically inside.

“Huh.” Leon enters around the corner while you rifle through the desk. You hear Leon call your name and you go to see what he’s found. You emerge onto a see-through walkway and see must be hundreds of strange containers sticking out and lining the walls. It’s uncomfortable just seeing them and you continue past to find Leon in the next room.

“Holy crap.” You gawk at the huge computer system overlooking a gigantic empty room that eerily resembles a factory floor. Something tells you it wasn’t machinery they were making here. 

“Ansem’s main computer terminal,” Leon states with a solemn nod. “We should let Sora know what we found.”

Your feel your fingers twitch. You want to access that system now. It has to all be in there. Leon seemingly reads your mind and breaks your reverie.

“It might be dangerous,” he says. You try to argue but he sternly says your name again and you sulk.

“Fine, I’m going back upstairs,” you huff and leave the computer room, trekking all the way back to the still-broken spires. It takes you some time, but it’s quiet here. You slide your journal out of your bag and open it up to the page with Zexion’s letter and the flower pressing. Taking a deep breath, you unfold the letter and read it again. The pieces start to come together.

The Apprentices’ experiments resulted with their deaths and as such, allowed Maleficent access to their world.

That was the answer.

The Organization were the Nobodies of the research team of which both Ienzo and Lea were part of.

Zexion was Ienzo’s Nobody and Axel had been ordered to eliminate him for some reason. What had he done that was considered a betrayal? There is no doubt now that Axel was telling you the truth. It’s been over a year. You’re sure Zexion would have come to see you if he could.

You ponder all these things while scribbling on a fresh page. The wind sweeps up, rustling your hair. It reminds you of when your mother would cast Aeros in her garden to clear the fallen leaves and petals. You miss her. You miss your father, who gave you this book. A book that would never run out of space for your words.

You’ll never see them again.

But Ienzo and the others who were basically split apart from their hearts... they were trying to recomplete themselves. Bring back together heart and body. But what about if there was no ‘body’ anymore? Was it still possible? You wonder if there are any answers to this in the computer downstairs... but with Leon keeping an eye on it until Sora gets back...

You yawn. It’s late. You sense a rumbling and you look out towards the dark towers on the other side of the Great Maw. More Heartless activity. That’s not a good sign. You put your things away and head back down. The computer’s not going anywhere, and there’s people that need protecting.

xxx

You flop down onto the chair at the desk in Ansem’s study. You’re exhausted from the siege and just want to rest. It’s raining out so rather than go to your usual perch, you decided to come down here. You pull out your book for some light reading but soon you’re asleep, breathing softly in and out. Your head is resting on top of the open page with Zexion’s folded letter and flower pressing. You dream once again of a completely restored Radiant Garden, and it sets your turbulent heart at ease.

Unbeknownst to you, a tall hooded figure in a black coat appears in the corner of the room through a dark portal. He notices you sleeping on the desk and approaches, eyeing the open book underneath you. He reaches a gloved hand out and uses one finger to slide the flower partially out from under your arm. He stares at it for a moment and then once again at your unconscious form, as if contemplating something. At last, he leaves without doing anything and heads down the passage to the computer room.

xxx

Whatever Sora and his friends did to fix the DtD, it seems to have worked. Additionally, everyone now remembers Radiant Garden’s true name. You’re not the only one anymore and you’re so happy. You hated the name Hollow Bastion. 

You wait until everyone else is busy with other restoration efforts before returning to the computer lab. Slowly, you approach the computer while eyeing it hesitantly. You’ve never been good with the things; your father favoured his books, although you know that he was starting to work on converting some of his older texts to a new, digital format.

The room is quiet now, save for the ongoing hum of the machine and the odd beep here and there. You stare at the keyboard and then at the screen, unsure of what to do next. Sora had said something about ‘Tron’ being the one to contact inside the system. Carefully, you reach out and place your hands over the keys, pressing a couple buttons. The system lights up and Tron greets you. After finding out who you are, he offers to help you in your search. Apparently, he remembers your father.

You start typing. Even though you have no clue what you’re doing, somehow, it’s working. New windows pop open on the screen, but most of them are dead-ends; the data either missing or corrupted. Undeterred, you carry on, digging further and further into the system until something new appears on your screen. You squint at the name of the folder.

Ienzo’s notes.

You try to access them but they’re password protected and heavily encrypted that even Tron says it would be difficult for him to get through. Of course. You try a few different things in the password box including ‘Sea-Salt Ice Cream’ and even your own name but none of them work. You stare at the screen so hard you feel like your eyes could burn a hole through it. You’re so close. How could you not figure this out?

Wait.

Could it be that simple?

Slowly, you type in the scientific name of the flower that Zexion gave you. As a child, you had looked it up and memorized it in order to impress Ienzo. When you told it to him, he had given you the first actual smile you’d ever seen him make. Your heart flutters at the memory.

M-Y-O-S-O-T-I-S

It works. There are tons of uncorrupted files within. Tron asks if you would like to download a copy to an external source so you can examine them at your own pace. Frowning, you glance around and then recall seeing an old datapad in one of the desk drawers back in the study. Quickly, you retrieve it and hook it up to the computer. The download completes and you put the datapad into your backpack next to your journal. 

Something tells you that you’re going to be very occupied for the next while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cheers if you know or look up that flower ;)


	6. Chapter 6

‘Ansem told me that writing things down is a good way to let out all the thoughts in your mind. I guess I’ll try it and see.’

You’re curled up in Ienzo’s old bed reading through the datapad and making notes in your own journal. After spending so much time in the castle working you realized you might as well just clean up this room and stay here. It’s quite cozy and the bed is actually adult-sized. Outside, the rain’s been coming down all day so there’s not much else you feel like doing. 

‘I went into town to find those strange creatures today. An older boy showed up and fought them off with a big key. Then Even showed up and brought me back to the castle. He wasn’t very happy with me.’

You chuckle at that, remembering how grumpy Even could be. He never did like it when you came to visit, saying that you were just a ‘distraction’.

‘Aeleus and Dilan brought a new person to the castle today. He doesn’t have any memories. Ansem wants to try to help him. The man says his name is Xehanort.’

The next few entries after this one talk a bit more about Xehanort and his experiment proposals. You are shocked at what some of them entailed, especially the use of human test subjects. Ienzo was an active part of this? You start to see notes about hearts and darkness. It’s all very technical, but you don’t like where this is going.

‘Ansem took me for ice cream today. We met a girl and then she came to the castle to do magic. I don’t know if it will help our experiments or not but she’s really interesting. I like her. She smells like fresh flowers.’

You try not to feel too self-conscious as you read on, but you still blush at how Ienzo describes you. 

‘We spent the afternoon in the library. I showed her where all the good books are located and she told me about her father and his archival work. I think I remember seeing him with Ansem before. When Braig found out she was here, he wouldn’t stop bothering me about it for the rest of the day. He’s a very irritating man.’ 

Along with Ienzo’s thoughts about your visits, there are more descriptions about the experiments which start to get more detailed and frankly, rather disturbing. You wonder how Ansem permitted these things to happen. Perhaps he really did go mad, like Ienzo had said.

‘Ansem is gone, but I have to stay strong. Xehanort’s experiments are getting more bold, but if we are not brave enough to face the Darkness then we may never actually find the answers we’re looking for. I had to tell my friend I couldn’t see her anymore. I don’t want Xehanort to use her as a test subject. I’m going to miss her company. It was always fun when she was around. If all goes well, though, maybe she can get her father to put this all into his history books.’

This is the last entry. You know what happens next. Somehow, Ienzo and the others lose their hearts thanks to whatever insane experiments Xehanort was conducting.

You think back to Zexion’s note. ‘I only hope that when you do discover the truth that you will not hold it against me.’ Clearly Ienzo had a direct hand in the events that lead to the fall of Radiant Garden. He was brilliant, but, like you at the time, was only a child. You could see now the thrill of discovery that was dangled in front of an impressionable boy. The pursuit of knowledge was something that always intrigued the both of you, but just in different fields; his was science and yours was magic. 

“I could never blame you, Ienzo,” you murmur, writing down a few more words into your journal as you yawn. It’s getting late, and you’re becoming very sleepy. “I just wish you’d told me the truth.”

You lean back against the headboard and close your eyes, drifting off.

Someone gently whispers your name.

You’re dreaming again. This time you’re on one of the benches in Fountain Court watching all the water flow around you.

You turn your head and see Ienzo sitting next to you. He smiles and greets you.

“Hello,” you say.

“So do you forgive me?” he asks, and you notice he seems nervous.

“For what?”

Ienzo looks down at his hands. “I helped destroy our world. Our home. You lost your parents...”

You sigh. “You shouldn’t have to feel wholly responsible,” you tell him. “You may have been involved but it wasn’t like you pressed the big red button.”

“It feels like I did, sometimes,” Ienzo admits.

“Is that why you’re still hiding here?”

Ienzo glances up at you, his cheeks dusted pink. “You figured it out?”

“I kind of put it together once Sora was telling us about Kairi’s heart being in his and then finding out what happened to you and the others. You were asleep for awhile though, weren’t you?”

“Yes... but I literally woke myself up.”

You frown and then you realize. “That missing chunk of time...” Confused, you press your hand to your chest. “Why didn’t he take you back?”

Ienzo shrugs. “Most likely didn’t want to risk it at the time. If he’d survived his assignment I’m almost certain he’d have come to retrieve me.”

“So... he’s gone and you’re here. What happens if you leave? Will you be recompleted?” you wonder.

“I... I’m not sure.” He rubs his arm uncomfortably.

“Shouldn’t you try? That’d be an incredible breakthrough in your research!” you state.

He sighs. “I know.”

“But?”

“What if it doesn’t happen? What if...” He trails off and reaches over, taking your hand in his.

“What if you end up disappearing forever?” you finish. He nods silently. You think about it for a moment and then squeeze his hand. “You won’t,” you say confidently.

He raises an eyebrow. “How are you so certain?”

You chuckle and lean over, giving him a soft kiss on the cheek. “Because a part of you will always be with me, silly.”

Ienzo reddens further. “O...of course,” he stutters. “How could I forget?” He takes a calming breath and then pulls you back over into an embrace. “I suppose... I’m just worried about how everyone else will react if I return.”

“They’re not going to blame you, Ienzo.” 

“You can’t guarantee that.”

You think about it. “Well how about I give them a little zap if there’s an angry mob?” You lift a finger, small sparks crackling out from it.

Ienzo laughs. “Okay.” His expression sobers and he meets your eyes. “I really hope this isn’t actually goodbye.” He cups your cheek with one hand.

You’re nervous too, but you can’t let it show. “How about just, ‘See you later’?” you suggest.

He nods and then everything fades away. You hear his voice in the darkness. “See you later.”


	7. Chapter 7

Word soon arrives that Sora and Riku have defeated Xemnas, the leader of Organization XIII. They’re back on Destiny Islands, reunited with their friend Kairi. You’re happy for them.

You remember Kairi now, from having gone through more of Tron’s archives as well as the copy of Jiminy Cricket’s journal that he gave you on their last visit. She was younger than you, and liked to play in the gardens with her grandmother. You vaguely recall your mother commenting that she always seemed like a special little girl and wondering if she could do magic like you.

Today you’re in the computer lab, chatting with Tron while he tries to restore more of the older data in his system. He tells you about how your father had been looking to move his archives into Ansem’s castle as a backup and for safekeeping. He’d been given limited access but unfortunately, didn’t end up having much time to make use of it as everyone had gotten locked out of the castle soon after Ansem’s disappearance.

You ask Tron about Ienzo, and he says that his databanks on the Apprentices are mostly still corrupted, no doubt due to Xemnas’ interference. The only reason that Ienzo’s files were intact was because he’d hidden them quite deep in the system.

It’s funny. You didn’t think you’d notice but you do. Like a tiny piece of yourself is now missing.

Be patient. If Sora, Kairi, and Riku can find each other after being worlds apart, then there’s got to be hope for you too.

You hear your name and you look over to see Leon. He’s been busy as of late, and you haven’t seen him around too much. Aerith said something about him receiving a letter recently.

“Working hard?” Leon asks, wandering up to you and looking at the computer screen.

“Yeah,” you reply absently, going back to reading what Tron’s dug up for you. It’s a history of the construction of Radiant Garden’s aqueduct and fountain system. Clearly you’re your father’s daughter because you think it’s quite fascinating and not ‘dry reading’ at all, hehe.

“I’ve got a surprise for you.”

You blink and turn back to him. “Oh?”

Leon rubs the back of his neck. “Well, it’s more like good news. More of the town is back. I think your old house is in the latest section.”

Your home. Would everything that was inside be restored as well? That has seemed to be the case so far for some of the returning residents and you start to get excited at the prospect.

You go with Leon.

It’s all there. Some of it is hard to look at like your mother’s gardening tools, but your main objective is upstairs. You pass by your old room and head straight for your father’s study. You open the door and nearly faint. Shelves of books, all neatly organized and waiting for you. Immediately, you slide the closest one from its spot and open it. You see your father’s writing and your heart swells. 

You’re actually home.

If only he was here too.

xxx

A few months later

\--

You’re in one of the gardens just outside of the castle. It’s another beautiful day and you’re attempting to prune the flowers alongside Aerith. You’d asked her to teach you not long after the restoration of the castle was seemingly complete. As much as you’d have liked to continue to sift through your father’s old books, you really wanted to spend time outside in the sun.

You hear Yuffie calling out both you and Aerith’s names. She’s jogging up the path towards where the two of you are working.

“Hey, check it out, I just bought these from Mr. McDuck. He thinks he’s finally remembered the recipe,” she says, holding up three blue ice cream bars. Ever since the duck returned to Radiant Garden, he’d been trying to recreate his Sea-Salt ice cream from ten years ago. You’ve tried most of his attempts so far and none of them have been quite right.

“Nice, thanks Yuffie,” you say and take off your gloves. She hands you one of the ice cream bars and you take a small bite. The flavour hits you and instantly you’re a child again, sitting in the town square with Ansem the Wise and Ienzo. “Wow...” you murmur.

“Mm... this is it,” Aerith agrees.

“Yum!” Yuffie sighs. She looks behind you and all of a sudden her eyes widen in shock.

“Yuffie?” You see the girl freeze and both you and Aerith turn around. Aerith gasps.

“Axel?” You drop your ice cream and leap to your feet at the sight of the black-coated, red-haired man. You’re about to cast a Waterza when he holds up his hands.

“Whoa! Easy there, Pipsqueak,” he says. “I come in peace.”

“Yeah right,” you snarl.

“Seriously,” he says and motions at his face. The tattoos that were on his cheeks are gone. “I’m me again. Don’t suppose you’ve seen Isa... but I’m assuming from your friendly greeting that you haven’t.”

You slowly lower your hand, the implications of his words sinking in. “You’re... you again?”

Axel/Lea nods. “Yup.”

“Your... heart?”

He taps his chest. “All there.” His eyes light up as he realizes what you’re asking and he gives you a wide grin. “He’s rooting around in Ansem’s study with Aeleus.”

You’re already running up the steps.

You don’t have to go all the way through the castle as he’s standing at the front doors looking around as if he’d just come outside. Tears fill your eyes as you barrel into him with a crushing hug. You hear him say your name but you’re so overcome with happiness you can’t speak.

“I’m sorry that took so long,” Ienzo apologizes once you let go.

You wipe your face on your sleeve. “Don’t worry about it,” you say. “I’m just glad you’re back.”

He sighs. “Me too. Because now I can finally do this and it be real.”

You open your mouth to ask what but he cuts you off by swiftly kissing you.

It is both the ending of a long story and the beginning of a brand new one. 

You can’t wait to write it all down.

xxx

~End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope that ending didn't seem too abrupt, but really, who doesn't like a happy ending? :)


	8. Chapter 8

Epilogue:

\---

You push open the door to Ansem’s study. Under one arm you’ve got a basket with tea and sandwiches and slung over your back is your trusty backpack and journal. Ever since Even disappeared, Ienzo’s been working nonstop to try and help Sora and the other Keyblade Wielders. You’re worried that he hasn’t been taking care of himself so today you’re bringing him lunch. Oddly, Aeleus and Dilan weren’t at their usual posts near the castle gates so you hope everything is okay.

There’s some sort of commotion going on in the computer lab. You set your basket down on the desk and prepare a Bind spell, just in case. Creeping around the corner, you gasp aloud at the sight.

“A.... Ansem?”

Both Ienzo and the older blond man wearing a black coat turn to look at you. There is also a tall young man with a mullet of sandy-coloured hair and amber eyes wearing the same black coat. The Organization coat. On the floor there is what appears to be a small body wrapped in a white sheet.

Ansem greets you warmly.

“What’s going on?” you ask. You see Aeleus and Dilan standing to one side looking, dare you say, emotional.

Ienzo comes over and takes your hand with a weary-looking smile.

“It’s quite the story,” he says.

You smile back. “I’m sure it is.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for taking the time to read this!


End file.
